Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Lost Memories ❯ Lost Memories ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: You are pretty stupid if you read this story and think I own sailor moon. I do not. Thank you.

 

PROLOUGE: Sight unseen

 

“And then, as I turned around…I saw her fist coming at me, so…I freaked out and ducked…and she decked Makoto instead! Rei had that look in her eyes…and when I looked back at Naru…I knew too. You know, like always…you try to tell them to stop, that what they are doing is not right, that `this isn't like you', but pfft, it never works.”

“I swear, she gets hit on by evil more times than I change socks. I am surprised she doesn't need therapy yet.”

“Half the time she doesn't remember, I guess. Any who, Naru starts coming at me until Rei steps in my way and uses one of her sutra to buy me time so I can transform. I dart behind the building near by…and poor Naru is on the ground flailing around like an overturned insect…but I figure I might as well get this over with, so I transform. I appear and spout the usual crap, in return I get the usual `There you are sailor moon, now I will destroy you' deal…Naru passes out and as usual…some weird ass monster appears. Makoto drags naru away, Mars burns the beast, and I go in for the kill.”

“Sounds like you had a busy morning”, Mamoru laughed as he gulped down the last of his iced coffee before throwing the empty cup in a near by waste receptacle.

Usagi stood near the garbage can, arms cross and brows furrowed, “Sometimes, I just wish evil would just…stop…even for just, just…ONE day! I hate being in the middle of something fun, or on a date with you only to have it cut short because some jackass in a crazy gay outfit is running around zapping people and-”

“Yesterday”

“hmm?”, Usagi, tilting her head to the side, looked up at her beloved with a perplexed look.

“You spent most of the day out shopping with Minako before coming home to have a snack, then falling asleep to take a nap until I woke you up with a phone call so we could talk for an hour.”

Usagi laughed as she returned to hanging on to her boyfriends arm, continuing their walk through the park.

Mamoru looked at Usagi and couldn't help but laugh himself. It was strange, how a guy like him could fall for a girl like her. Most people, upon seeing the two together, would scoff and wonder how it was even at all possible. They were just too opposite. A clumsy, ditzy, child paired with a mature, independent man? How could it be! What in heavens name kept their love for each other so strong?

 

“She has the biggest heart out of anyone I know”, He would reply.

“She is beautiful, she is sweet…kind. She is not afraid to just…be, especially in a world where everyone is so, I don't know. Superficial I guess. Everyone is afraid to be themselves for fear of what someone else might think, or how someone might look down upon them. Usagi…she….she is just so carefree. On a gloomy day, she'll put a smile on your face.”

Mamoru would smile as a daze would cross his face as images of is sweetheart raced through his mind. His heartbeat would quicken with every word he spoke of his dear Usagi.

“I may sometimes get annoyed by her childish behavior at times, but that doesn't mean I love her any less. Sometimes, that very immaturity is what I love about her. She means the world to me, even though some people can't tell. Someone once said `If he doesn't die loving you, then he will die protecting you, for he loves you that much' or so I think the quote goes.”

Haruka, once stopped him asked, “Why are you still with her. It seems to me that you two are only together because of your past lives, and for chibi-usa's sake. From what Rei told me, before you even had your past revealed, you two fought and didn't get along very well”

He would smile and nod in agreement with Haruka's words to the latter statement and only reply that love works in mysterious ways.

“As sailor moon, I always wanted to protect her. I guess it was subconscious and I never really thought too much about it. I always had my own goals which prevented me from even fully realizing what my heart was feeling, and why I was even protecting this girl. Even as Usagi, it didn't matter. In my eyes she was still Sailor Moon. I'd look at her eyes and just see a champion of justice before me. At times, my brain would yell at me going `This is USAGI! The girl you argue with all the time!' but, I didn't see that…no…I saw more than that. I saw a girl who was willing to fight for what was right…I saw…so much and I wanted to protect that. I wanted to protect someone precious to me. Over time, as I started to get used to the fact that Usagi…was sailor moon, it made my heart beat like crazy. I wanted to see her smile, to hear her laugh…and crazy as it sounds…I loved the arguments ” Mamoru would shrug at this point before continuing on with his statements

“Over time, I just started to fall in love. It's strange how the heart works.”

 

“Lets walk by the lake!”, Usagi giggled, as she tugged his arm toward the sparkling water dotted here and there with couples in boats.

“Ok! Ok!”, smiled Mamoru as he let the pigtailed girl lead the way. “Slow down! We have all day unless a mon-”

Mamoru stopped dead in his tracks as a chill ran down his spine. He stared back at Usagi, his eyes growing serious. Something wasn't right; something was filling him with fear and panic and he didn't know why. He darted his eyes desperately around his surroundings for any sight of something a miss, but nothing.

“Mamoru? What's wrong?”, Usagi smiled. “Lets go!”

Mamoru's eyes raced back to Usagi, his breath quickening and his thoughts racing with terror. What he saw before him made his heart stop dead. She was fading.

“USAKO? USAKO!”, Mamoru screamed at the top of his lungs as his firm grasp held tight to usagi's arms. His voice was laden with fear as he shook his girlfriend furiously. It was no use.

She was forever frozen in time and space, a smile etched on her face as her body started to fade away into nothingness. He tried desperately calling out her name but to no avail. She was disappearing and nothing he tried was bringing her back.

With in minutes she was gone, leaving Mamoru grasping on to the empty air in front of him. He frantically tried to make sense of what had just happened, his head darting left and right searching for his vanished love. His eyes filled with tears as despair started to set in and the shock had him frozen in place.

A pang shot through his heart, and with in seconds Mamoru was on his knees. A flash of white light emanated from that very spot and shot out in all directions, a ripple spreading across the entire world. Mamoru lost his breath as seconds later he fell unconscious.

CHAPTER 1: Mess.

 

Bright streaks of morning sunshine began filtering between open slats of dusty, white blinds. It was dark in the young mans apartment and aside from the morning sun shining through, one could hardly tell that the morning had come. Mamoru rolled groggily to the other side of the bed as he slowly opened one eye to stare at the time on his clock. It was 8'oclock. He rolled onto his back as he contemplated more sleep, seeing as it was Sunday and he had neither work nor class. He lay there on his back, staring at the ceiling as his brain was having a huge debate on whether or not to get up, or to stay in bed just a few more minutes. It was the growl of his stomach that made his decision as he slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his tired, puffy eyes.

Tired and puffy, as they always seemed to be now a days. He was finding it harder and harder to get any sleep as of recent and he really couldn't quite place it. His mind would always be racing right before bed and his only assumption was his school work. Midterms were upon him and he was heavy with various projects and reports…not to mention the studying.

“That's it.”, He said to himself “I'll be back to normal once midterms are over.” He stood and gazed downward at the floor for his slippers. He moved a dirty shirt out of the way, but…nothing. He kicked a pile of clothes out of his way, found his lost calculator, but no slippers. He kicked another small pile out of his way and shook his head.

“I'll also get my cleaning back to normal too once midterms are over”, He said, bending over to check under his bed, managing to find one slipper. Question now was: where was it's mate? Two piles of clothes and a moved couch later, he found it and proceeded to drag his tired body to the kitchen.

He reached the kitchen and slumped his shoulders depressingly upon seeing the small pile of dishes he had left sitting in the sink from last nights dinner date. He sighed as he ran fingers through his dark black hair, turning away from the mess as to not worry about it. He'd get to it later, like he seemed to do with all his other chores recently. Dragging his feet over to the counter to grab things for making morning coffee and toast, he saw his cell phone lying next to the toaster and noticed the red light had been blinking.

He picked it up, looked at the screen and rolled his eyes. “…Yuriko…”

He put two slices of bread into the toaster and pulled the lever, all the while… staring at his phone, wondering whether to listen to the voicemail message or ignore it. He gave in and placed the phone to his ear.

“Hi…Mamoru…It's me, Yuriko…as if you couldn't tell already” The voice laughed “Last nights dinner was wonderful, it really was. You are a great cook Mamoru. Everything was so tasty, I mean that.” There was a long pause “Mamoru…I…” Another pause “I do like you, a lot but…I've been getting this feeling lately that it is all one sided. You just don't seem interested anymore. I don't know if you ever really did seem interested to begin with. You stare off into space a lot, you never pay attention, you just don't seem…well…here” Short pause “I'm sorry Mamoru, but…I just don't think it's going to work out. Your mind is completely somewhere else and…I don't think…a girlfriend is in your future. I've got to go. My brother is going to be picking me up in a few minutes so we can go visit my mother, but feel free to call me.”

The message ended and Mamoru flipped his phone closed. He wasn't at all bothered by it, nor did he feel any remorse. “It was only the third date anyway” he thought to himself. That was the fourth girl in the last 6 months. He would get a hook up through a friend, or meet someone new on campus…but no one could ever seem to hold his interest and his mind would always wander elsewhere. Again, as usual he would tell people “School has just been very stressful lately, some hard classes and all that”

Maybe that was the reason he had been in this weird funk as of late. He did have quite a work load which was probably what made him more withdrawn than usual, and that glowing shine he wore about had faded into something lackluster. There was no denying it. He wasn't himself.

“We'll see what happens when midterms are over.” He reached over and grabbed the toast from the toaster, before pouring himself a cup of coffee.

He sat down at the table, toast and jam in hand as he opened the paper. The front page had yet another story of some mysterious death caused by, as witnesses put it, monsters and weird people in weird costumes. It had been happening a lot recently with claims of three mysterious soldiers coming to save the day, or almost as in the case of the current paper.

“I guess those mysterious senshi are kind of cute. They do have short skirts.” Mamoru raised an eyebrow as he sipped his coffee. Other than the front page, there was really nothing interesting in the news anymore, at least not to him anyway. He used to remember a time when reading the paper was enjoyment. Flipping through the pages, he would read near every article that came by because he could never get enough reading in his day. Fresh newsprint would fill his nostrils until every last inch of the paper had been read. Now days it was a miracle if he even got past the front page. He'd stare at the page for a while before getting lost in his own thoughts, realization of how much time had gone by not crossing his mind.

He was doing it again, just staring. It wasn't until a knock at the door that he snapped back into reality, looked down, and realized jam had spilt on his shirt. He sighed as he grabbed a napkin from the holder and walked up to open the door.

“Yo!” A familiar face waved, though it took Mamoru a few seconds before he realized its familiarity. He just stood at the door way, a blank look on his face…almost confused as his face tried a few seconds to put the name to a face.

“You, going to let me in…or are we going to stand here until the book store closes?”

“Oh” Mamoru shook his head “Motoki. Sorry. Still trying to wake myself up. Yeah, come on in…if you don't mind mess that is”

“Pfft, With Rika gone in Africa, I bet my place is messier than your-” Motoki walked in and hung his coat on the rack “I, uh, I stand correct.” Motoki counted “I have ONE less clothes pile than you do” He laughed and sat himself down at the table.

Mamoru walked over to the kitchen with his mug and offered his guest some breakfast, to which he declined stating he had eaten on the way. Mamoru shrugged and placed his coffee cup in the sink along with all the other dirty ones that had piled from the previous night. It made Mamoru's thoughts wander again, and as if reading his mind…Motoki chimed up.

“So, what did you serve up Yuriko last night?” Motoki leaned back as he flipped through the pages of Mamoru's newspaper.

“Some Italian dish I pulled off the internet. Nothing big.”

“What do you mean nothing big? I saw those piles of dishes in the sink when I walked in” Motoki winked

“Some of those dishes are days old. I'll wash them later.”

“When you going to see her again?”

“I'm not” Mamoru walked to the refrigerator to put away the butter and jam.

“Oh, that's ni- WHAT!”

“I'm not going to see her again”

“But…oh…geeze..Mamoru!” Motoki's voice was dripping with disappointment.

“She left me a message. Do you want to hear it?”

“She left you a message? What's up with you man!”

“Do you want to hear the message or not?”

“Fine, toss me your phone” Motoki threw his arms in the air and caught the phone. He placed the phone to his hear and listened to the message left. His expression went from pure joy to down right disappointment. He sighed in frustration as it seemed he had lost all hope in aiding his friend in love. Maybe he would try again come summer vacation.

“I don't understand you Mamoru. You two seemed so compatible!”

“She's too serious.”

“She's too this, she's too that. No one is perfect Mamoru. What is it going to take for you to stop holding such high standards? Even Rika has got her flaws…though I do my best not to point them out for my own sanity.” Motoki laughed as he threw a paper airplane in the air he had made out of the morning paper. It flew across the room before landing behind the couch. “Wasn't a good paper anyway” Motoki said lazily.

Motoki's eyes moved about the room in search of any semblance of clean but found none. His mind began to question if the real reason Yuriko ended things was the upkeep of Mamoru's apartment. Any woman would be appalled at the mess left about, but with the disinterest Mamoru was showing in his life, it wasn't like he was about to bend over backwards and clean his apartment for some girl.

“You sure she didn't leave because of this…mess?” Motoki questioned to Mamoru

“No. In fact, she liked it. It seemed to be the only common ground we shared. We're both very messy, in fact, her apartment is worse than mine.”

“Maybe that's why all those other girls left. They took one look at this filth and decided they didn't want to be with a pig” Motoki laughed as he made his imitation of swine. “Oink! Oink! Ha, ha. Either that, or they saw the dirty…you know and thought `ewww, dirty pervert!” Motoki snickered

“Hey! I didn't ASK for those magazines! Shota gave me those and I haven't gotten around to throwing them out yet!” Mamoru huffed as he filled the coffee pot with soapy water and left it on the counter to sit.

“Oh, lighten up! It was just a joke” Motoki chucked as he threw a wadded up page of the paper and it bounced off Mamoru's head.

The paper rolled by the sink and all Mamoru could do was stare at it wide eyed and confused as a gust of déjà vu filled his brain and came knocking at the door. He kicked the paper with his foot and he could just see some forgotten memory stuck in a bubble but the moment he tried to think about it, it would burst.

“Everything ok? You look confused”

“I…errr…naw. Just got the weirdest déjà vu when you threw that paper at me, like it's happened before and it was significant”

“You mean, like THIS!” Motoki wadded up another page and hit his friend square in the face and laughed

“Ow! Not like that! You know what I mean! That hurt!” Mamoru rubbed his eye. He glanced down at the wad of paper, only to see his half eaten toast stuck inside.

“WTF! Who throws toast! Don't throw toast in my apartment!”

“It's already messy enough”

“Yes, but not with food! I don't want to attract mice and roaches!”

“Alright, alright. Now, get dressed. I want to hit the book store before lunch”

“Then Crown Café for lunch?”

“What is WITH you and that Café! We ALWAYS eat there! And why, when we go, do we ALWAYS have to sit at the corner booth!”

“I don't know. I am just…well…drawn to it. The foods good, reasonably priced and I like booths because I can bring my school work and sprawl out I guess.” Mamoru shrugged, not fully understanding why he always chose that café. In all honesty, the food wasn't that great.

“Lets eat somewhere else today. I hear there is a burger joint that just opened up about a block from the book store.”

“Alright. I'll be back. Help yourself to some `help clean the apartment' cookies”

“HA. You wish! Only if it's with that Hot red senshi. She seems feisty.” Motoki glanced down at a picture of 3 senshi on the front page “HEY! Didn't there used to be a blue one? What ever happened to her?” Motoki yelled out at Mamoru

“Short haired one?” Mamoru's muffled voice came from the bedroom as he tried to find the neck hole in his shirt.

“Yeah”

I don't know. Maybe she quit the force. Beats me. I don't really care to much. They protect the city somewhat, and as long as no weirdoes come and attack me, I am good” Mamoru walked out of the bathroom in midst of putting on his pants. He shuffled his feet around piles of clothes looking for his coat, and upon finding it, he headed for the door.

“Ready Freddy?”

“Lets go!”

Chapter 2: Books

 

Mamoru winced, as the bright white light of the sun hit the back of his retinas, mumbling to himself that he had forgotten his sunglasses back at his apartment. As his eyes adjusted to the outside light, he glanced around at his surroundings, seeing couples dotting the sidewalk...arm in arm. They were happy; they were giggling and smiling. They all had someone, someone to love and someone to cherish. Even Motoki, with Reika stationed in Africa, had someone to love. Why? Why didn't he? Why couldn't he find his happiness? Why couldn't anyone come along to light that fire that he had so seen in many couples almost every day of the week? Would he ever get his turn, he thought and sighed.

As much as he tried to deny it, often claiming that school as more important, it did bother him. His heart always felt empty and lost, as if it hadn't yet found it's purpose. Seeing other couples doing "couple" things made him envious. He wanted that. He couldn't help but shake this strong desire to be with someone and on some nights, it drove him insane.

"There is someone!! I know it! Everyone has a soul mate and I KNOW mine is just WAITING for me!" he said to himself one night as he lay in bed.

As a man, he just naturally assumed that feelings as such were left to the female folk and so he tried to ignore it...lest Motoki teased him for being gay again (something that has been a humorous source of entertainment for dear Motoki as to why Mamoru can't get a girl).Men should be more focused on women and their breasts, women and their curves...not...feelings. He tried to just man up about it, ignore it, deny it...whatever have you but it just didn't work. Something, or someone...was missing, and he couldn't quite place it.

"Mamoru! Yo! Mr. A.D.D!" Motoki waved a hand in front of his distant friend. "Are you with me?! Hello?! Pay attention! You almost knocked over that old woman!"

Mamoru turned around, noticing the old lady giving him an icy stare. Flustered, Mamoru bowed and apologized. Pay attention, he thought. Yes! Pay attention.

"Are you ok?? You've been staring off into space for the last few minutes. Yen for your thoughts"

"Just admiring the day is all. It's so nice. That, and regretting the sunglasses I left at the apartment. It's nice out, but too bright. I'm going to go blind", Mamoru lied.

"Are you sure???" Motoki arched an eyebrow and grinned "You sure it's not because you are...gaaaaaaaaaaayyyy??? Just so you know, if you were gay...That'd be ok..." Motoki started to sing

"SHUT UP! I am not GAY! Just because I notice how lovely it is outside...."

"I mean cuz HEY! I'd like you any way!"

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU! Those magazines were a cruel joke on Shota's part!"

"But you still have them"

Mamoru rolled his eyes and coughed "I don't want the garbage man to find them and think I am some gay pervert"

"Black garbage back will hide all the evidence you need. If you say you are not gay, throw them out"

"Ok, I will!"

"O.K! Fine!"

"Fine!" Mamoru stuck out his tongue.

Truth be told, he wouldn't. He'd say he would, just like he says he would do a lot of things. He'd never get to it. He never does. He never ever recalled himself ever being THIS lazy. He'd get home, and totally forget the magazines being under his bed until Motoki would come over again and spot them, proceeding to then tease him again over the issue.

Mamoru huffed, his mood now slightly soured as the whole gay conversation caused him to be uneasy. He knew he wasn't gay, or so he thought but his lack of any steady girlfriend made him question if the opposite was true. Despite Motoki's "deepest" apologies, it didn't help sway his disposition in the slightest. It wasn't until the two turned the corner and came close the book store entrance, that a smile returned on is face. Mamoru smiled in delight as he noticed a new release poster hanging from the awning. He darted to the store ahead of his friend to check out the new release he had been eagerly waiting to get his hands on.

He darted around a corner, nearly knocking down a young teenager. Mamoru apologized and continued on down the aisle until he stopped in front of a large wall of books with bright colored bindings. His eyes darted left and right until he spotted a small display titled "New releases". A look of childish glee swept across his face as he grabbed the book began flipping through the pages. The fresh smell of new print paper filled his nostrils as the biggest, stupidest grin covered his face. He had been waiting several months for this to come out and was more than delighted to see it out on this beautiful day.

"I could have sworn this book wasn't supposed to come out until next month!" Mamoru grinned with excitement.

"Yo! Mamoru! What gives!!" Motoki halted to a stop next to Mamoru, panting and out of breath "I've never seen you this excited since free doughnut day!"

Mamoru held the book with both hands and extended the book outward into Motoki's face.

"See! See!! It came out today...or so I think!!! I have been waiting for this volume...for...well...EVER!"

"Ai No Senshi?" Motoki grabbed the book from Mamoru and flipped through it's pages, stopping on occasion to view the gratuitous panty panel "What the HELL! This is a bishoujo Senshi Manga! Oh god, please don't tell me this confirms..."

Mamoru snatched the book away from Motoki and grimaced.

"Of course not! This is a great series! It's about this warrior who goes around saving the world, but upon her ultimate battle, she has to decide between her most precious friends...or the one man she loves. She chooses, in the end, to fall from grace in order to save everything. Her ultimate sacrifice saved all life but at the cost of her own. Due to her valor, she is given the chance of rebirth...to start over and make things right...or continue onward. Last chapter I finished, she just awoken and-"

"Oh geeze, you are really into this series aren't you?" Motoki questioned as he pulled out a few manga to gaze at the cover. He pulled down a new release of some NC-17 comedy action, to which Mamoru grabbed out of his hand.

"Yeah"

"But you're not 13 anymore!"

"So?"

"For WHYYYYYY!!! You gave up manga YEARS ago! You are not a kid anymore! Why all of a sudden are you getting into it now?"

Mamoru stopped to think a moment "You know, I don't know. All of a sudden one day, I just felt drawn to the manga aisle. I started to reminisce about being a kid again and getting all excited for that new volume coming out...you remember how that goes, right? Besides, you don't have to be a kid to like manga...it's for any age...depending on what you like. Take this one that I am getting because it's the next in the series that I need" He pointed to the book he had taken out of Motoki's hand "I wouldn't dare give this to a 7 year old."

"Ok, i'll give you that one...but why bishoujo senshi series? Isn't that for girls? What gives"

"My sister likes this author and she has this series. One day I was making fun of her for reading it and she got mad and said I was being prejudice or something and she said 'don't knock it till you try it' and you know what she did! She black mailed me into reading it! She pulled out the time when we were kids and she saved my ass so dad wouldn't bust my chops and ground me for near an eternity. So...since I owed her...I read the book.

"And you LIKED it?!"

"It reaches to me. It's like I can understand all the pain emotions going on when I read. When I read it, I feel an VERY odd connection with the main character and it draws me in for some reason. I never thought I would like it like I do. It's the strangest thing, even before she 'forced' me to read it, I had heard about it...plus other books the author had wrote...and it piqued my interest as something I need to read...but...to avoid your GAY jokes, I didn't get into it." Mamoru shrugged and grabbed one last new release before following Motoki over to the magazines. A big breasted female in a skin tight bikini caught Motoki's eye and he pulled the magazine down from the rack.

He flipped through the pages, occasionally glancing over at Mamoru who was gleaming with delight over the books he held in his possession. So unlike him, he thought. The friend he knew would never get all this hyper and excited nor would he be this absent minded. Motoki winced as he saw Mamoru try to walk and read at the same time, with an end result of running into a display and knocking all the trinkets to the floor. Mamoru profusely apologized as he assisted the clerk in cleaning up the mess. He glanced back embarrassingly at Motoki, who sighed and shook his head in disappointment. Motoki grabbed his magazine and snaked his way toward Mamoru just as he was finishing his clean up duty.

"You are something else my friend." Motoki shook his head.

"Huh?"

"That, THIS! Everything!" Motoki pointed to the book Mamoru was reading as well as the pile he had just bumped in to.

"Ok, so I wasn't paying attention. Sue me"

"You NEVER pay attention! Well, lately anyway. You are always distant and despondent...or not the brightest crayon in the box."

"But at least I'm a crayon!" Mamoru chimed in happily, causing Motoki to sigh.

"You never used to be this way. You used to have it all together! You used to be collected. You were organized, with it...and now, it's like someone put you and everything about you and everything you own, in a large jar, shook it up...and dumped it on the table."

"Stress of midterms" Mamoru's face became heavy

"No."

"What?"

"No! This has been going on LONG before midterm! You've lost interest in things you used to care about, and things you never cared to much for start to interest you!" Motoki grabbed the book from Mamoru's hand and waved it in his face.

"Hey!! You made me lose my spot!" Mamoru grabbed the book back and flipped the page to find his last page.

"I'm just worried about you. You've...like...changed. Ever since that heat stroke..." Motoki's voice trailed off as he got lost in the thought

"Heat stroke?"

"Over the summer...Rememeber? We were walking through the park to meet up with Rieka when she came home for that visit. God, RECORD temperatures it must have been. I TOLD you to stay hydrated!!! You ended up passing out just a few feet shy of my sweet, sweet honey bunny" Motoki's eyes covered in a glaze as he zoned out at the thought of his girlfriend.

"I did?"

Motoki snapped back to reality, "Oh god yes! We called an ambulance and everything! How can you not remember this! The very least you should remember is waking up in the parking lot on the ambulance Gurnee!"

"I remember the park, yes but that day just seems fuzzy to me. Can heat stroke do that?"

"I guess. Ever since that day, you've been different. Maybe it scrambled a few wires; maybe you saw the light and got to close to it. I am not saying this change is a bad thing...except this despondence whatever dazed depressed uninterested lost thing you got going. It's not the Mamoru we all know and love is all." Motoki laughed.

"I know, I know. I try...sometimes I try too hard…but it's like I never feel complete. It always feels like something is missing in my life...that...my purpose hasn't been found." Mamoru shrugged.

"You've just hit a slump is all. I was like this when Rieka left for Africa...for a bit anyway. You'll recover. Will your grades? I don't know" Motoki grinned as he pulled a "How to study for dummies" book out of the shelf and handed it to Mamoru.

Mamoru frowned and grabbed the book, "Jackass" he mumbled.

He began taking a few steps backward to put the book back in its spot, but immediately stumbled over something, causing him to fall backward...crashing into the shelf behind him. Several books fell as Mamoru winced in pain. Motoki stared in wide eyed wonderment, his mouth agape in shock. Motoki glanced down to see a woman hunched on the floor, her angry aura more than over powering. Motoki was speechless. Several more books fell on the woman as she proceeded to then curse like hell.

"God DAMN IT! What the HELL!!! What the FUCK is your problem man! You have fucking eyes! Don't you USE them! What the FUCKING hell is WRONG with you!", The woman proceeded to lift herself up, long locks of curly red hair falling over her face; her livid expression peeking through between each lock of curls.

Mamoru groaned as he rubbed his head, slowly opening one eye to view the damage before him.

"I ASKED you what the HELL is your problem!" Furious, the woman stood up and placed her hands on her hips.

Flustered, Mamoru stood up and apologized.

She turned around and glared at Motoki, "And YOU! You could have TOLD him 'Hey! Watch out!' What the fuck is wrong with people now a days!"

"Hey! Mamoru said sorry! What more do you want! We didn't see you hunched on the floor! Who the hell goes to the book store to molest the floor! You are just as much at fault as he is!"

"ME? ME!!! Your FRIEND here" she pointed back angrily at Mamoru "Needs to get his EYES checked! That IDIOT is going to cause bruises on my beautiful skin!"

"What the HELL were you doing on the damn floor anyway!"

"None of your damn business JERK!” She flicked him off

“What…the…HELL is your PROBLEM!” Motoki glared at the woman before a short battering session erupted.

"Hey!! HEY!” Mamoru intervened, “Enough! Look...Miss, I apologized that I was careless and didn't pay attention! I didn't see you on the floor! I'm REALLY sorry!"

She turned to Mamoru, her eyes filled with ice, something that made Mamoru get that pit feeling in his stomach. She stepped closer to him, brushing away the locks of curls from her face. She looked ready to tear him limb to limb

"Look! I've already had a SHITTY day as it is! I can't find the person I am looking for! I've locked myself out of my apartment! Nothing is going right and I SURE as HELL don't need YOU making it Wor-"

She stopped dead in her tracks. Her face grew serious and she leaned in and eyed Mamoru intensely. A few moments had passed, making Mamoru feel very uncomfortable.

"Ummmm...Yes?" He backed up into the bookshelf behind him.

She continued to stare at him for a few seconds more until she let out a silent gasp and took two steps back. Her demeanor suddenly changed and she became very serious and silent.

"You O.K Miss?" Motoki walked up to the woman. She snapped, smacking Motoki's hand away...her eyes never leaving Mamoru's gaze.

"Do I have something on my face? Umm...I...Uh..." Mamoru felt cornered "I'm...going...to go...over here now" He attempted to slip by the woman but she grabbed his arm with force.

"You..." She growled silently, keeping serious gaze on his. She tightened her grip, digging her nails into his skin. Her eyes looked possessed

"Hey! Ow! Let...me...GO!" He snapped and he shook his arm out of her grip and pushed her aside so he could get through, "What the HELL woman!" Mamoru yelled, rubbing his arm

Her attitude suddenly changed yet again. She let out an audible gasp as her face became red with embarrassment when she realized what was happening. Flustered, she bent down and started picking up the books that had fallen on the floor.

"I...I'm so sorry! It's just...just...umm...you looked SO much like someone I know. I...Oh god. I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me!" The woman looked near ready to cry

Mamoru bent down and helped her pick up the books, "No, it's alright. I take it you aren't on good terms with this person?" Mamoru pointed to the nail marks on his skin and laughed to lighten the situation

"No, it's not that….It's...well...It's a long story"

"Well, again, I am sorry for tripping over you and sorry that I snapped"

"No, I should be saying sorry. I shouldn't have been on the floor like that...or I should have at least asked for help. I dropped my car keys, and they skidded under the shelf. I tried to get them and I can't reach them." She put some books away on the shelf before bending down and pointing to her keys.

Mamoru put away some of the books and bent over to look under the shelf. Sure enough, near the back were a set of car keys attached to an aqua blue tear drop shaped pendant crossed with two silver wires. Motoki pestered his friend to “forget the nasty bitch” and just leave for lunch but Mamoru wouldn't have it. He sprawled on the floor and tried to reach the keys but try as he might, he was unable. He stood up and motioned Motoki to come over and try but he was rather reluctant in helping the woman who had just been so mean minutes before. Mamoru proceeded to convince Motoki to let bygones be bygones but he still shook his head. Mamoru pestered in the most annoying of fashions until Motoki was on the floor desperately trying to reach for a set of keys. It was no use.

“Ok, I tried. Lets go” Motoki huffed.

“No! Wait! I mean-! Uhh! I need my keys! I have an important meeting today! Mamoru-san! Could you please try one more time!” she beckoned Mamoru back to the floor. A smirk swept her face before folding her arms and taking two steps back to let Mamoru try.

He bent over and peered under the shelf. The keys, he could see them. In the corner they were, and he tried to think what he could use to reach the keys. He had a backscratcher under his bed somewhere but that wouldn't help. He reached behind him to scratch an itch on his back when his hand brushed against his belt. It would be a bit awkward but he could try it…removing his belt and using it like a whip to nudge the keys closer.

Just as he was about to take the plunge ad remove his belt in public, he witnessed something that put his speech to a halt. The keys…they had moved. Physically moved. He couldn't believe what he saw and had to do a double take. Perhaps a rodent or some other vermin had skittered by…but, wouldn't he have noticed? It wasn't THAT dark under the shelving. He peeked his head out from the shelving, confused as ever.

“Rat.”

“Rat?

“Did you see it?”

“What rat?”

“The keys. They moved. Probably was a rat”

The woman turned blue in the face, as she rubbed her neck nervously.

“I didn't see any rat.”

“But the keys moved! I swear they did! I SERIOUSLY saw them move!”

“Oh god…don't tell me you've finally lost it…”

“Damn it Motoki, I saw the keys move”

“Ok, maybe it WAS a rodent or something. Just hurry and grab the damned keys. I am hungry.”

Mamoru shrugged it off and bent back down to grab the keys. Surprisingly this time, they were much closer than they had been before. He was still baffled as to how the keys could move on its own and he knew for a fact his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. He was slightly reluctant to grab the keys for fear that there indeed was some vermin waiting to bite him.

“Mamoru-san! Can you reach them?”

“Yeah, just barely” He lied as he pretended to struggle with reaching them

“Thank you!”

Mamoru bit the bullet and reached for the keys. Just as his fingertips brushed against the pendant, a bright light started flashing as if thousands of cameras were taking pictures at the same time. He got lost in a trance from all the flashing for a mere few seconds before he freaked out and banged his head on the shelf. Motoki inquired if he was ok, to which Mamoru grabbed the keys and shuffled out from underneath the shelving.

“Yeah…ow…I got'em”

“What was that bright light?”

“What bright light?”

“I saw flashing under the shelf.”

“I didn't see anything, I just grabbed the keys”

“That was extremely bright! How could you not have seen….”

“Don't tell me YOU'RE losing it too!”

“I could have sworn I saw…”

“Ah ha ha…You are just seeing things Motoki-san! I…I didn't see anything!” The woman snatched the keys from Mamoru's hand with light speed. She looked down at the keys in her hand and grinned.

“But…the…light…” Motoki sounded utterly confused because what he saw was extremely bright and how ANYONE could miss it was beyond him.

“It's ok buddy. You are hungry, so you are not thinking straight.” Mamoru patted Motoki on the back.

“Thank you SO much Mamoru-san! I greatly appreciate it!” she bowed several times causing Motoki to roll his eyes.

“Is that it?” Mamoru grabbed his books

“Yes! Thank you!” She produced a large book from her bag. “I guess, we should probably check out”

Motoki stared in bafflement at the lady's large book. He glanced back at her small purse. “She pulled a book…out of THAT?” he thought. Something just didn't seem right.

The three proceeded to the check out line only to have to stand behind numerous people. Small talk was had with a majority of it being bashings and insults between the woman and Motoki. She obviously didn't like him, and he obviously didn't like her. A few minutes later the lady had gone to the next register, to which Motoki sighed in relief.

“Thank god. I don't know what the HELL her god damn problem is!”

“She seemed nice”

“Yeah! To YOU! What the hell, man! Who does she think she is!” Motoki's mood was obviously soured.

“Just…stop…If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all”

With in minutes, Motoki and Mamoru had their bags and headed out the door. Waiting for them...was her. Motoki cursed under his breath and Mamoru nudged him in the gut. Motoki tried to remain pleasant but it was blatantly obvious the woman wasn't going to have it. Nasty aura just shot right out of her veins and it was obvious it was all aimed at Motoki.

She pushed Motoki aside and stepped up to Mamoru “I just wanted to say thank you one more time before I left.”

“Oh puuullleeeezzzeee. Not this again” Motoki rolled his eyes and sighed.

“It's ok. Glad to help”

She smiled at him and started to walk out the door.

“Oh wait!!! I never did catch your name! Ha, ha. You know mine but I don't know yours!” Mamoru laughed.

She turned around and shook his hand, her gaze lifting up at Mamoru, a smirk covering her face, "It's Bey'ru"

 

Chapter 3: Family

 

Mamoru's gaze never left the doorway as he watched the woman turn and leave the store. His mind was reeling with some weird feeling that he just couldn't shake. He was so lost in thought over Bey'ru, that he hadn't noticed a very large, very rude lady complaining that he was blocking the doorway. Motoki grabbed his arm, apologized on behalf of his absent minded friend, and dragged him by the magazine rack. He chewed him out for a grand total of 3 seconds until his gaze shifted to the floor to a slip of paper that he had seen fall from Mamoru's hand. Motoki leaned over and picked it up and unfolded it. To his surprise, a number was written on it...underneath which read "Call me ^_~"

"What's that?" Mamoru shifted his attention to Motoki

"N-N-Nothing. Must've been your receipt" Motoki was tempted to throw out the woman's number on the sole basis that...well...she was evil.

"Give me that!" Mamoru snatched the paper away from Motoki.

"Just toss it. That woman is evil. You don't need her number!"

"Hey! A woman finds me attractive and wants a hook up. You are always harking on my issues with women! You should be happy that this could be a potential find" Mamoru stuck out his tongue and added the number to his cell.

"But...with THAT...ugh...WITCH!"

"Just because YOU don't like someone doesn't mean that I can't either. Besides, she seemed very...interesting."

"So, you're going to call her?"

"I don't know. Maybe?"

"Whatever. Just be careful. She seems nasty"

"Not to ME she doesn't! Maybe she has a sexy man fetish and she's only nice to the cute ones?"

"Oh? And I'm not?"

Mamoru raised an eyebrow "When was the last time you got any?"

"Shut up!!" Motoki huffed "What does THAT have to do with me being sexy?"

"Maybe that there WAS an alternate reason Rieka left for Africa" Mamoru nudged Motoki in the arm with his elbow " I mean, come on...those African tribal-"

"SHUT up! We're leaving!" Motoki grabbed Mamoru by the collar and dragged him out of the store.

They walked around the corner to the burger joint Motoki had requested instead of the Crown Cafe, only to find it had been closed for repairs. The front window was covered in tarp and the door looked bashed in. After seeing the green slime covering the broke windows, it was apparent another attack had commenced. Someone who appeared to be the owner stepped out and apologized for the mess. He explained to the two how his eatery had been attacked the day before by what he could only describe as the gayest rainbow beast ever. Motoki chuckled. He was lucky that the 3 soldiers came to the rescue but it still doesn't stop his store from getting fired, electrocuted, and shot through with weird orange beams. The two men walked away as the man waved them good bye. Motoki sighed, knowing it was the Crown Cafe again. He knew his waitress of a sister was working there today and due to PMS, she was already being a super bitch. They had done nothing but argue for the past 2 days and it always seemed to be HER who started it. He swallowed his pride and walked along side Mamoru, who was as happy as can be that he was going to his favorite joint.

Moktoki continued to sulk as the two walked down the streets toward the crown cafe, disappointed over the burger place and that his manhood having taken a large stab into the gut. It was a slight irritancy for Motoki, as it would be for any man who had been deprived of certain needs for so long. Even Mamoru had managed to sneak some in, though never to the full extent of passion as to be expected when you are in love with someone. It was always mediocre at best, and he could never get into it. No matter what woman, how many woman, where it was at...it was never right. Shortly thereafter, the so called significant other would break things off saying "It's me, not you" but Mamoru knew the truth, and quite frankly, he didn't care anymore. It made Motoki jealous. The fact that, even though the love making was never any good, at least he was getting some and Motoki was not.

The rest of the walk to the Crown cafe was silent. Motoki was to busy sulking over his manhood while Mamoru was to busy trying to read and walk at the same time. The silence would be broken with an occasional growl of a stomach, other than that, nothing was said. The smell of fresh baked goods filled the air, causing Mamoru to stop in his tracks, slam his book shut. He stood there several seconds as his nostrils filled with the glorious scent of baked cakes and cookies. Across the street was a local Floral and pastry Shoppe, which as of recent, started attracting lots of customers. It had gained near gossip status when the owners of the Shoppe recently passed away in an airplane accident, leaving the store's sole ownership to their young 14 year old daughter. It was said that despite her age and the gossip rumors to slander her name, "Cooking Kino" as she was known, was said to have the best baked goods in town.

Before Motoki could even utter a word, Mamoru had darted light speed across the street and was already in line with his money out. He waited patiently until it was his turn at the register, to which he then proceeded to order a hefty sized bag of cookies. The young girl at the register flashed him a smile as she greeted him, making a joking comment to his large order of cookies. Mamoru pointed across the street to his friend, stating that if he felt like it…he would share. The girl looked over his shoulder to the man waving across the street to get Mamoru's attention.

"He looks like my old Sempai" she muttered silently, a dazed look in her eyes

"Excuse me?"

"N-n-nothing! Umm, your total will be 875 yen please!"

Mamoru dug through his hand at the appropriate amount of yen coinage to hand the cashier. He proceeded to place the change in her hand, but the moment their fingers touched, a flash of a memory flooded his eyes and his mind. He could hear a young girl's laughter. He paused a moment, and then stared intently at the cashier. It caught the cashier off guard as she spilled a few coins on the counter.

"Do...I know you? You seem familiar"

"I don't believe so, Sir. I get mistaken for celebrities all the time" She joked, a nervous laugh hiding behind her smile as she gathered the fallen coins.

The transaction was completed and Mamoru stepped to the side to wait patiently for his order to be filled. The girl's laughter plagued in his mind but the moment his cookies came to the counter, he had forgotten all about it. He opened the bag to let the wonderful aroma of fresh baked cookies fill his nose. With out any hesitation, he plopped one of the cookies in his mouth and ran joyfully across the street back to Motoki.

"Give me one!"

"Mmm-mmmm-m-mmmm-mmm-mm-mmmmmmm-mm"

"Oh, Sorry, I don't speak 'mouth full'. Take that damned cookie out of your mouth."

Mamoru took a large bite and finished it, nearly choking. "No! These are MY cookies, paid with MY money! Get your own!"

"You've got, like...a gajillion cookies.. LARGE cookies you fat glutton! Would it kill you to give me just ONE!"

Mamoru sighed and dug out the smallest macaroon cookie he could find and handed it to his friend. They continued to walk to the cafe, this time the mood filled with poking and prodding at Mamoru's undying need to eat. In one way or another, he was always hungry, or ready to eat. He would always choose sweets over anything else, and usually the largest quantity he could buy. Motoki was always in awe at the fact that no matter how much food he shoved down his throat, Mamoru could always find room for more. There may be things in his life Mamoru lost interest in, or stopped caring about but food didn't seem to be one of them. He shoved another cookie in his mouth and chewed as happy as can be. Motoki was about to warn his "fat" friend about losing his appetite for lunch, but stopped in mid thought. It was silly to even think such a thing, and he sighed as he let his friend shovel more cookies down his throat.

By the time the two had reached the cafe, the entire bag of cookies had been near devoured. Mamoru had eaten majority of the bag, only allowing Motoki to have a few. They walked up the steps to the cafe and upon opening the door, were greeted with a big hello from Motoki's little sister.

"Motoki!" She waved "I told you not to bother me at work anymore!" she laughed

"Oh Hush up Unazuki! I am proud that my little sister makes wages and is kind enough to share her gracious tips with her handsome older brother"

"You wish! Any other reason aside from eating that brings you to this fine establishment?"

"He's with me, and we're hungry...well...sort of" Motoki pointed to Mamoru, who was stuffing his face with the last cookie.

"Oh! You brought your fat friend!"

"I AM NOT FAT!" Mamoru yelled, causing him to start choking on his cookie.

Unazuki poked at his soft belly. "One to many cookies!" She sang as she grabbed two menus and walked them to their usual corner booth. The both ordered their usual drinks of Cream Soda and iced tea, before plopping their books on the table. Motoki had pulled out a small Math book and a spiral notebook that he had been carrying in his bag while Mamoru spread out the several manga he had bought. Motoki chastised him that midterms were fast approaching and if he wished to save face, he should study instead of wasting his time with silly books.

"I, on the other hand, am the model student! As you can see, I brought my books with me so that I may study! I didn't understand a certain chapter in math, so I am reviewing the material."

"As soon as I finish this book I'll study!" Mamoru flipped back to the page he had left off at before getting cookies.

"So you say. But I know how you've changed. You'll SAY you are going to study, you'll hit the books for 10 minutes. Soon after you'll fall asleep and nap. or Go to the fridge for a snack and TV. You NEED to start being more serious about your studies!"

"Nag, nag, nag! What are you, my dead mother coming back to haunt me from the grave?!" Mamoru flipped a page

"Well, if she WAS alive, she'd be telling you the same things! Hey! You aren't even paying attention to me!" Motoki sighed and gave up on trying to lecture his friend. He opened his text book to begin some studying before his sister returned to take their order. They ended up with the usual again, Mamoru ordering a large bowl of ramen and a double cheese burger and shake, and Motoki ordered his usual BLT on wheat with a bowl of soup. Everything in moderation was the thing for him now a days and he would cringe at the filth Mamoru would ingest on a daily basis.

Motoki tried to create small talk while they waited for their food, but he just couldn't seem to draw Mamoru away from his book. His eyes gazed at each page intently, reading at a pace that seemed to defy a brains capacity to read. It was almost as if he didn't have to read, everything about that manga just absorbed into his brain page by page. Motoki even asked if Mamoru was even reading the words or just looking at the pictures but was shushed away. Each page seemed to warrant a different expression on his face.

Mamoru had just reached the page where the heroine was going to sacrifice everything she had just to save those precious to her when a chill went down his spine and it brought sadness to his heart. Distant memories were flooding into his brain and the feeling if loss hit him hard, making him want to cry out. The main character was torn between her losses but realized that in order to save everything; she first had to lose everything. Somehow this rang all too familiar with Mamoru and it made his heart so heavy he couldn't take it. He slammed the book closed and placed his hands on his head and breathed sporadically. He tried so hard to hide the tears that were welling up behind his eyelids, so much so it started to burn. His only ruse now was to pretend to yawn, rub his eyes methodically as to fool Motoki. Thankfully Motoko was too much into his book to notice Mamoru wiping away his eyes. The food came which darted Motoki out of his studious trance, at which point he noticed his friend and his troubled aura. He looked at Mamoru in a perplexed manner but sighed in defeat when Mamoru's disposition changed the moment his burger hit the table.

"Finally! I am STARVING! Unazuki is the slowest waitress ever and her service is deplorable. I doubt I'll be tipping today!"

"You're just a cheapskate and you WILL be tipping. Tipping, or else I hold your milkshake hostage." Unazuki said nonchalantly as she placed his ramen on the table.

"Don't mind him, sis. He's just hungry"

"I expect a hefty tip from you. You haven't forgotten that dirt I have on you, do you?" Unazuki arched an eyebrow.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Motoki waved a 10,000 yen bill and Unazuki smiled and walked away.

"Just like Cheiko." Mamoru said, stuffing his face with fries.

"Hmmm?"

"Cheiko ALWAYS has dirt on me...well...we always have dirt on each other. We always knew that the dirt we had could put the other in terrible trouble with mom or dad. It was a weird love hate relationship. I guess, it was really just the two of us vying for our parents love. It was a competition so if we could get one parent mad at one of their children, it meant more love for the non offender. I guess our parents passing made us both realize that what we are doing is childish and it has to stop. Our parents loved us both equally. Speaking OF, I should probably head over to my aunt and uncles place to visit her. I would like to drop off the book. She can't buy it now seeing as she got the punishment for defying my uncle's word. I haven't seen her in a while anyway. Do you mind if we part ways after eating? I doubt you want to drive in a car with me for half an hour."

"I needed to go to the campus anyway to talk to my professor about math. I doubt you wanted to go to school with me anyway. you'd just get bored." Motoki laughed as Mamoru sloppily slurped up some ramen, splattering soup and green onions everywhere. "This is not like you either! I think that heat stroke did something to your table manners too. You are eating like an animal!!' Motoki handed him a napkin

"It's just a sign that I enjoy the food that I eat, and this is good food" Mamoru crossed his arms

The rest of the meal went with out much saying as Mamoru again turned his attention to finishing the rest of the chapter that had him so emotionally turned. Motoki resumed his math studies and occasionally the silence would be broken when Mamoru would laugh hysterically at a new panel or gasp in surprise. He would laugh so hard he would start to choke only causing Motoki to chastise him to eat more mannerly. While Motoki was still dabbling in his soup and sandwich, Mamoru had finished the entirety of his meal. He sat there, groaning with each burp, as he complained about the ache in his stomach. Motoki paid him no heed and continued to study. Realizing he was getting no attention and he had long since finished his book, he called over Unazuki to come take his plates. She sighed at the deplorable nature the food had left his shirt. Ketchup and ramen bits seemed to be the fashion statement for him as Unazuki chucked a towel at his face.

"I hope you don't go on dates with women covered like that. Us lady folk don't really care to see that."

"Dates? What dates?" Motoki laughed.

"You never know. Ms. Right could be right around the corner, Hell...she could be in his bathroom right now stalking him. "

Really!!" Mamoru chimed with excitement as he wiped his face

Both siblings sighed. Unazuki refilled both their drinks and walked off until Motoki had finished.

He had only eaten half his sandwich, though finishing his soup. Mamoru kept eyeing his sandwich relentlessly until Motoki gave up and passed the plate over.

"I thought you had a stomach ache?"

"That was 5 minutes ago" Mamoru said with a face full of lettuce.

Motoki sighed as he let his gluttonous friend devour the last of the sandwich. Unazuki had walked over to the table and caught the trail end of his face stuffing and sighed as well. Motoki informed his sister that they were done with their meal and were ready for the bill. She smiled as she handed them their check and made sure to remind each of them about the hefty tip she felt she deserved for serving such "ingrates". A small sibling argument ensued over tipping until defeat was brought up when Mamoru slammed a 10,000 yen bill on the table. Mamoru commented on the disgusting nature of their argument and how the two of them should cherish their moments together, relating everything back to Cheiko and himself.

"Oh shut it!" Unazuki snatched the 10,000 yen from the table, the lunch bill from Motoki and Mamoru, and then grabbed Motoki's wallet on the table and fished out another 10,000 yen before storming away.

"OH! REAL MATURE SIS! YOU CAN NEVER ACCEPT OTHERS ADVICE CAN YOU! YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE FSKING RIGHT! GOD FORBID SOMEONE ELSE IS RIGHT FOR A CHANGE!" Motoki shouted angrily from the table. Mamoru was about to open his mouth when Motoki silenced him by getting up from his seat. It was apparent that Motoki was too angry over such a trivial matter and speaking to him would only result in more shouting. Mamoru and Motoki said their goodbyes as politely as possible. They headed off in opposite directions. Mamoru sighed in relief when he got away from all that tension, and opened his book back to where he left off and continued to finish his book on his walk back home.

Oddly enough, he managed to walk all the way back to his apartment with out bumping into anything. People would stare oddly when they noticed a grown man reading such a girlish book, but shrugged it off when they noticed he wasn't paying attention. Each page filled him with a new emotion, even a sense of nostalgia. Something made him feel like he had seen it before, that he had been a part of it all but he knew that had to be just a fluke in his feelings. After all, this was just fiction and nothing more. He closed the book when he finished it and he was left with this weird feeling he couldn't explain. His heart was beating fast, a sense of euphoria going from head to toe.

Moments like this, he truly enjoyed. Happiness washed over him like a flood and everything just felt right. His entire existence felt off kilter. It was like those baby toys where you fit the square block into the square hole, the round block in the round hole, and instead...someone was trying to put the square block into the round hole. When moments like this came over him...it was like everything was falling into place and the blocks were going in their respective slots. He knew it would only be temporary when what ever nagging memory would leave his brain but he didn't care. He felt happy, even from reading a book, and that was all that mattered.

Things seemed all fine and dandy until he turned the corner to his apartment and noticed two couples kissing at a doorstep. He let out a depressed sigh and dragged his sorry little ass back to his building. Was fun while it lasted, he thought, reflecting to the emotions he felt when he finished the manga. It was that laughter again. It rang into his head as he walked by another couple holding hands. He moaned in frustration and kicked a mound of dirt, not caring that he had kicked the dirt into the eyes of a small child. The child cried, but he continued to sulk onward. As he entered his building, he debated returning to his apartment for a bite to eat, but declined. He knew if he entered that black hole, his mood would sour and he'd go back into a depressive funk. Aside from the "lovers" frustration he was feeling, he felt pretty good and he didn't want to spoil his good mood. He wanted to surprise his sister, as he was sure she could use it. He went past the elevators and headed to the parking garage toward his car.

It was sporty, it would attract babes, and it was a gift from his parents when he got his license. In the days of automatic, his friends were surprised that he still drove a stick shift. He loved it. It made him feel exuberant. Being alone out side of his apartment was a great relief for him, and it left him to his thoughts. He had no book to distract him, he never ate while he drove and the music playing in the stereo would wash away all his troubles. He put the key in the ignition, inserted his favorite CD, rolled down the windows and off he went.

He took the long way to his Aunt and Uncles place, knowing that the scenery and the ocean would put his mind at ease. It sure beat driving down town with all the traffic and the noise. He would sing along loudly to his favorite songs and occasionally another female in an equally sporty car would try and pass him...giving a typical glance trying to grab his attention. He would look over, smile and nod, and uninterested...he would drive off. Disappointed, the females would try to catch up with him to flirt along side him as they drove and again he would just continue to drive. Several times later, he got so annoyed he just shouted from the window "SORRY! I'M GAYAND ENJOY BUTT SEX!" and drove off. In his rear view mirror he could see the look of shock, embarrassment, and confusion on their faces. He chuckled to himself, glad to have them off his tail.

Mamoru drove along the ocean, enjoying the scenery. The wind ruffled his hair but he didn't care as the smell of the ocean breeze filled his car. He drove until reaching his destined exit. He made his way through a few winding roads, a few small shrines and a few shoddy neighborhoods before entering a gated community. It was rich with lush landscapes, abundant flower beds and the typical fountains scattered through out. It was a lavish lifestyle, inherited both on his mother's side and his father's side. Both sides of the family were from well to do business companies so it was no surprise to him when he would drive around the community with friends, an they would gawk at the houses, and stare wide eyed and stupid upon reaching His Aunt and Uncles house. They both lived in a moderately sized home, still making enough to afford the lavish luxuries like a pool AND a hot tub. He pulled into the long driveway and parked next to the behemoth of a tank his uncle called transportation.

"Ha ha, Hummers. More like Bummers I say" he glanced at the gas tank and contemplated how much gas per second it would eat up.

It decided that since he parked next to the mammoth, he could then sneak around the back gate. He knew that the back porch door was always unlocked during the day, so surprising his family would be a no-brainer. Uncle would be busy watching his favorite show and would be on the recliner. Aunt would be in the kitchen preparing dinner and his sister would be upstairs in her room. He crept and crawled his way around shrubbery, stopping only once to pluck a single rose from his aunts rose bush. He was the only guy he knew who had an insatiable love for roses. Gay perhaps? He tried not to think about it to much. It was horrible vision to think that he loved men but what else could it be with this fail in girlfriends.

He crept around the side of the house, ducking under each window. He leaned over and peered into the sliding door window to notice his aunt covered in flour, with a mixing bowl. Another pie. He smacked his lips hoping it was lemon. She was busy with the phone to her ear and so it would be easy for him to sneak in. He slowly opened the sliding door, careful not to screech as a dead spider brushed his hand. His aunt was still blabbering away on the phone as he crept in and slid the door quietly behind him.

"God DAMN IT Saito! I TOLD YOU! Arikawa Industries are arriving TOMORROW! Not next week! I SENT OUT THAT GOD DAMN MEMO ON THRUSDAY!" she walked over to the cupboard and grabbed the vanilla extract as Mamoru snaked his way around the kitchen table.

"NO!...WHAT?! MY FAULT! Look, those representatives are arriving tomorrow at 1pm and you better be DAMN sure you have the reports ready! I am NOT here to clean up after YOUR ignorance! That memo was sent and everyone was notified and it is then YOUR responsibility to make sure you commit it to MEMORY! I am NOT here to walk you by the hand and-..no...you know what...I'm DONE! If you don't get those reports ready YOUR ASS IS FIRED! I am SICK and tired of your lazy do nothing attitude! That may be fine at home BUT NOT IN MY OFFICE" She slammed the phone on the wall. Mamoru froze in place, knowing that Aunt's anger was something NOT to trifle with. He didn't know whether to move or to stay.

"Oh well, at least those reports are not MY responsibility!" She sang. "I don't care! It's not my share! He's so lazy drives me crazy!" she danced.

Mamoru sighed in relief and continued his creep toward the kitchen, hiding behind the large island in the center. He chuckled at himself as his aunt tried to sing, but was failing horribly. His Aunt turned around and walked toward the counter toward her mixing bowl, unaware of the travesty that was about to unfold. Mamoru crept closer to the corner of the island and when his Aunt was with in view he jumped out, flailed his arms and screamed like heck. She started freaking out and screaming.

"HOLY SHIT!" She screamed, causing her to throw her arms in the air and the extract bottle smashed to the floor. "FUCK! Oh my GOD!" she continued to scream, panting and out of breath. "The Hell is WRONG with you Hone-Oh my god! "Her eyes welled with a few tears "OH MY GOD! MAMORU!" She hugged him tight

"Ow! Hi Auni Kei. Uhh" He pointed down to the mess. "Sorry. But it was funny though"

She slapped him upside the head and handed him a wet rag and told him to clean. He sighed and cleaned up the broken glass and vanilla, all the while his aunt chastising him constantly on his behavior and his life and how rude it is to scare people like that. Even through her nagging, lumbering footsteps could be heard racing toward the kitchen.

"What the hell honey!? Are you alright! What-" He looked down to see Mamoru bent over cleaning up and he laughed heartily. He put two and two together, calling Mamoru an idiot, and his laugh roared some more through out the house. Mamoru still bent over, sissy crying over the fact that he had pricked himself on a small shard of glass. When the mess was cleaned up, he stood up as his Aunt tended to his small wound.

"M'Boy!" He hugged Mamoru. "Why are you here!"

"H-Hi Uncle Yoshio." He wiggled his way out of the death grasp. "Please don't hug me. You smell like bodily sweat and rancid beer. Common courtesy says you should shower AFTER you work out"

Mamoru bowed politely and explained that he had just come by on a whim. Upon hearing that his dearest sister was being punished, he thought he would pay her a visit and keep her company. He clutched the book store bag close to the inside of his jacket, knowing that if his aunt and uncle saw, they would chastise him for bring over that immature filth when he knew good and well his sister was grounded. He figured it was due time he paid his family a visit, not to mention he knew a free meal was in it if he showed up around dinner. His uncle gave him a coy smile as he pointed to the bowl of custard mix on the counter. The stack of lemons made his mouth water. It was lemon pie, and for reasons unknown, he had an undying love for lemon pie...a love he had never yearned for before. Kei proceeded to shoo the men away from the kitchen, complaining that if they dawdled any longer she wouldn't be able to finish dinner. The two men skedaddled from the woman's lair as Yoshio went back to his recliner to finish his show on the opulent large flat screen TV.

“Is she home? I would assume” Mamoru sat on the couch next to his uncle.

“Who? Your sister? That damned insolent brat has been forbidden from leaving the house!” Yoshio slammed his beer into his recliner cup holder. “If you go upstairs and she isn't anywhere to be found there will be hell to pay!”

“Well, I know that much. She sent me an email and told me how unfair it was”

“Unfair? UNFAIR! She completely defied my word. I don't CARE that she just broke up with her boyfriend! She got brought home by a cop in the process! She then got grounded but I don't know WHAT compelled her to sneak out AGAIN!” His deep voice roared through out the room. “I told her that if she leaves the house ONE more time against my orders she won't live to see tomorrow”

His eyes were fierce with rage. He had a temper and he knew how to use it, and use it well he did. Mamoru would recall spending vacations with his aunt and uncle when both his parents would have to leave for business, and many a time his ass would be red as a baboon. He learned over time to obey the law of house master but as far as his sister was concerned, that law was thrown out the window when mother and father died.

In her eyes, no one could ever replace her parents nor did she ever want anyone to. She refused to let anyone control her life because in Cheiko's heart it was a betrayal to her parents.

“You're NOT my parents and you'll never EVER be them!” was often the word she would shout in defiance.

Mamoru could tell that by the look in his uncle's eyes, he was furious that she would still continue to defy them. He asked politely if it was ok to head up stairs so that he may visit with his sister before dinner. Yoshio was weary of letting her have visitors under punishment, but he recalled how very upset she was when she returned home after sneaking out.

He tried to yell at her but she just broke down into uncontrollably sobs. It made him very uncomfortable to see a woman cry so he just pointed to her room and sent her away. She had been that way ever since. Yoshio allowed Mamoru to go upstairs, knowing that the bond the two of them shared was surely enough to bring Cheiko back to life. Upon hearing the story, Mamoru agreed and headed up stairs to cheer up his dearest sister.

He walked up the grand marble stair case, his hands cupping every inch of the thick railing. Its grandness curved up a total of 3 stories and it was often quite a work out going to the top floor where his room had once been and his sister now resides. He reached the top floor and walked down the long ornate hallway down to his sister's room. The walls were heavily decorated with anything imaginable, as per his aunt's request. Her home was something she took great pride in so she did everything she could to decorate it as lavishly as possible, so that everyone knew of the Chiba wealth.

Walking up to the bedroom door, he knocked softly only to get silence. He knocked again. This time he was met with a loud screech of “Get the hell away!” followed by more sobbing. Frustrated, he then banged his fist on the door repeatedly.

“Open the God damn door NOW or you will wake up with a fist roaches in your bed again!”

“Who are YOU to tell me what to DO! Get the FUCK out and leave me the hell alone! You're not my mother, you're NOT my father!” she screamed

“But I AM your god damn brother! Now open the door!”

The crying stopped. Shuffling was heard and then she ran to the door. She flung the door wide open and fell into her brothers arms sobbing rivers of tears. She became hysterical and Mamoru walked her to her bedside. He stroked the long strands of her blond highlighted hair and he held her tight to comfort her. Tears wet his shirt and her voices came out as garbled mumbles as she tried to tell her story. Mamoru managed to calm her hysterical fit long enough for her to speak clearly.

He calmed her down and asked her what had happened to cause her to sneak out of the house. Cheiko was always pretty fair to a point when it came to her punishment but sneaking out was something she didn't really do. She would always cause ruckus now a days and be defiant but once she was in the house for the night, leaving was something she didn't care to do. For her to sneak back OUT of the house meant that there was something seriously a miss, as if the uncontrollable sobbing wasn't an indication enough.

She explained to him a long drawn out story about the break up with her boyfriend and the reason for sneaking back out was because she couldn't understand why he broke up. Things were going so good and then when she passed him in town he suddenly just pushed her away.

***

She walked down the sidewalk, bummed over a recent test. Sight of her boyfriend walking down the street put a gleam in her face and she skipped happily toward him.

She hugged him “Once again, we run into each other by pure coincidence!” she smiled

“Stop it!” he pushed her away” “Please don't hug me!” A frustrated look covered his face as he turned around.

“Sorry…yeah, I guess it's a little to early for…” she scratched her head embarrassingly.

“That's not what I meant!” he said angrily

“What?” she looked confused

“I'm saying that I don't love you anymore!”

“What…do you mean?” her face wrought with worry

“We're finished!”

A pang shot through her heart as she tried to make sense of what just happened

***

Wiping away the tears from her face she continued on with her story. She couldn't understand it so she asked her friends what they had thought. They suggested that he may have just been having a bad day, or perhaps he thought that he was the reason she was so defiant at home. Every one of her friends suggested she go to his house to clear the air and find out what was wrong, since breaking up with out any reason behind it was not right. She snuck out of the house the next night, grabbed her bike and rode off.

***

The doorbell rang. He got up from the floor and walked to open it. She was standing there, her face sad and confused. He returned the expression with a look of frustration, anger and sadness. He leaned back against the hallway wall and she closed the door behind her.

“What do you want?”

“I'm sorry about this after noon.” Her voice trying to hide the sadness that lay deep with in. “I'm so dense, I didn't realize you were in a bad mood” her face wore a fake smile.

“It's not like that. I just don't love you anymore.”

“But! I'll make sure to behave at home…so”

“Don't make me say it over and over again! I just want to end our relationship!” his voice getting angry.

“There…There's no way I can believe that” her voice filled with disappointment. “Because you were that boy down the street, and I was the girl you grew up with. We were lovers even before we were born! I just know it!”

He slammed his fist into the wall “That's why I want to end it!” He shouted angrily “Why do I have to be your boyfriend JUST because of that! I'm…” He looked up to see her face, her eyes filling with tears.

She looked at him, then down at the floor to a small pair of shoes. “She's here, isn't she? Your little sister is here. Maybe you like HER better than me.”

“Don't be ridiculous!”

“You're right. I'm sorry for making you hang out with me until now.” She turned around crying, and left his house.

She walked down the street a few blocks before stumbling upon a phone booth. Crying, she opened the door and walked inside, falling to the ground. Tears streamed down her face like a flash flood river.

She looked up into the heavens “Sorry Mom, but it looks like I can't bring him home anymore” she continued to weep.

***

Mamoru sat there, tears welling up in his eyes. A deep pain of sadness swept over his entire body. He felt like his heart had been ripped out and the thought made him cry out a few tears. Confused, his sister looked up to him to ask what was wrong. He didn't quite know but the story sounded so familiar to him that he couldn't help but feel the same pain as her sister.

He hugged her and consoled her that everything would be alright. He assured her that he had his reasons but if she really did love him and felt that the break up was unjust, she would have to be willing to fight for that love. She hugged him even tighter as more tears fell, and as tears fell from his face. It was odd that he could feel the same pain, that another sense of dejavu overcame him. It was slightly difficult to console his sister when the story itself had upset him. Again, that girl and her voice entered his mind…but instead of laughter, she was crying, and it made him cry too. He wiped the tears from his eyes wondering what he could do to erase this emotion.

He suddenly realized that he still had the book hidden under his coat. He knew he could comfort her and make her feel better by giving her a gift.

“Ok, I have something for you then,. Something that will make you feel better since I know how upset you are, and being punished and all.” He pulled out the manga and she squealed with delight. She opened the pages and began flipping through it and reading a bit of the first couple of pages.

"You know what this book reminds me of?"

"What?"

"Those girls. The ones in the paper and always saving the town. They are magical girls just like in the book! I've seen them up close and personal!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! I was walking home from the park and this ugly thing jumped out of a tree. seconds later as we were all running away screaming, a green one, a red one and an orange one came in and started blasting fireballs and electricity bolts at the thing. I wanted to watch from behind a bench but Miyomi grabbed me so we could run like hell. Wasn't there a blue one? I never see her around anymore."

"You know, Motoki commented on that this morning. Maybe she quit. I'd quit too if ugly monsters kept terrorizing me. I'd be scared shitless."

"Well, the only difference is...more warriors in the book...and there is some prince like love interest who comes in to rescue his fair maiden. I swear, if I see those 3 girls again, and some prince like love interest comes to save one of them...I'll KNOW!"

"Know what?"

"Know where the author gets her ideas from! I know there are only three...err...four...three? Yeah...but maybe the author added more to make the story interesting."

"Every time I go somewhere and I see them fighting, I feel this slight urge to help. I mostly brush it off because they can handle it, but I get this feeling that if there was REAL danger...I'd have this impulse to jump in and be a good citizen."

"You just want to save a hot chick" Cheiko nudged Mamoru

"No! I am serious! I get this weird feeling like I should help them. I never would anyway though. Have you SEEN those monsters?! Some of them shoot acid from their tentacles or mouths and...well...umm...I'd like to KEEP my baby makers thank you very much!"

"Baby Make-....ewwwwwww MENTAL PICTURE MENTAL PICTURE" Cheiko hid under the covers. Mamoru shook the bed as if to simulate sex.

"Oh yeah! ooohh yeah! Oh y- oh...quick! I hear Uncle's monstrous footsteps coming."

Cheiko scrambled out from under the bed sheets and grabbed her house keys. She pulled out a red key and leaned over to a small chest sitting on her night stand. she Quickly unlocked the chest and placed the book inside and locked the lid. Cheiko then pretended to cry and sob, Mamoru quickly picking up on the cue. Uncle knocked on the door, opened it and peered into the room and saw Mamoru consoling the "upset" Cheiko. Being that this was not his thing, he knew how awkward it would be if he walked in and tried to help.

"What do you WANT! Can't you see...that...I'm...UPSET! GO AWAY!" Cheiko "sobbed"

"I...uh...I'll go down stairs and see if your aunt needs help with dinner" Uncle stuttered before zipping out of the room. The door closed and Mamoru sat there staring at her sister in awe. Real tears were falling from her face as she wiped them away and laughed. She was good. Maybe too good. He began to wonder how many facades she put up around Aunt and Uncle just to get away with things.

"Don't worry. Your book is safe in this chest. They would NEVER touch it. It's a special chest. I...I use it to store my precious memories of mom and dad." Her face became sullen as she grabbed the chest and brought it to her bed. "They bought it for me shortly after I had moved in." She opened the lid and pulled a picture of her parents that was taped to the red velvet lining the chest. A smile crossed her face as her face welled up with tears.

"Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I was in the car with them. Would things have played out differently? Would they still be here because my presence would have changed it all? When the school called me down to the principal's office, I thought it was a joke. They were lying just to get back at me for cutting class." She removed a shirt from the chest and brought it to her face. "I didn't want to believe that they were dead, and a possibility that you was dead too" she cried as she brought the shirt to her nose "It still smells like him. Remember, he used to ALWAYS wear this on his days off because even though it was a stupid looking shirt, it was a gift from the both of us and that was enough to make him proud to wear it." She held out the shirt that had a comment about how dads are like ATM machines. "Look, he's worn it so much it is starting to pill." She tried so hard to swallow back the tears but each memory in the box made her cry that much harder. "I know it's been two years, but it still hurts! IT STILL HURTS! "Cheiko cried out.

Mamoru's face started to fill with tears as well when he pulled out a picture from the chest. He was in his school uniform and he was holding up his graduation diploma. "Look. The last picture we ever took. Remember? It was graduation day. They were so proud of me. The next day mom and dad handed me my plane ticket and said they were sending me to Okinawa for a week...hotel and everything." He held the picture up to the light as more tears fell from his face "We didn't even make it to the airport. I kept screaming and SCREAMING but nothing came out! The ambulance came and took me away...while firemen still tried to get mom and dad out. When I finally woke up in the hospital bed, they told me that they were dead." Mamoru shook uncontrollably as rivers of hot salty tears poured down his face

Mamoru reached in to the chest to pull out his mother's blanket He could still recall the fragrant scent of lilac and vanilla that his mother loved so much. He could vividly recall the countless times his father would come home with a new bottle of lilac perfume just to replace the empty bottle. Every memory was like sweet candy with a salty tear filled center. He opened up the blanket and a small shiny object fell to the floor and under the bed. He bent down and reached for it and procured a small star shaped locket. He stared at for a bit...something poking at the back of his mind.

"Where did you get this? I don't remember mom having this. Is it yours? Did a boy give it to you?" Mamoru wiped the tears away from his eyes

"No. Mom gave it to me. She said she found it in your room one day when you were only 4 and she couldn't remember for the life of her where she got it or who gave it to you. Then she thought that maybe it was a present for me that some relative gave her at the baby shower and you just stole it. She said she was going to give it to me when I was born but she completely forgot about it. She was digging in her closet and she found it and gave it to me when I was only 10. It was very pretty and when you open it, it plays the most beautiful melody. It makes me feel...sad."

Mamoru slowly opened the locket and the melody started to play. A crescent moon rotated slowly around the center and glittering lights shone bright. His mind started racing with unusual thoughts. Memories started flooding back and his heart was filling with an unmatched sadness. Each memory was clouded and flooding his brain like a VCR on fast forward. Again, he heard the young girl's laughter, the same laughter he then suddenly remembered hearing when he got his cookies. He flipped the locket over and on the bottom was carved "To my one and only E" and something was calling out to him but he couldn't quite place it. He closed his eyes and the image of a soft kiss graced his lips and sent a chill down his spine. He closed the locket and in an instant, the memories were lost.

"You're right. It is very pretty. It makes me feel nostalgic for some reason, like I've heard this before. Can I have it? I don't have anything that belonged to mom. I have a few of dads things."

"If you want it. I never really felt like it belonged to me when I had it. Mom said it was supposedly mine but it didn't ring out to me. It seemed to ring something in your tiny little brain. Maybe it's meant for you?"

He rubbed his hands over the locket and with each touch more memories wanted to flood back. He placed the locket in his coat pocket to make the memories not be so mind warping. The smell of fresh roasted meat filtered through the room and it was apparent that dinner was well on its way.

Both of them made their way down the marble staircase and down a few more halls until they reached the kitchen. Pie was being removed from the oven as Kei turned around and began directing orders to her niece and nephew. Cheiko crossed her arms defiantly, refusing to set any table where her aunt and uncle would sit but Mamoru slapped her upside the head and requested that she behave herself. She whimpered but complied with her brothers request, doing so only because he said so. Kei rolled her eyes and continued finishing dinner.

Dinner had been the best meal he had experienced in a long time. He never felt any urge to cook anything decent when at his apartment so majority of his meals consisted of instant ramen and sandwiches. He ate several helpings of beef stew over rice and it overjoyed Kei to endless extents. To see him have such a healthy appetite made her laugh as she leaned over to him and wiped his face with a napkin. He squirmed and complained about no longer being a child and that he could wipe his own mouth but she continued to do it anyway. Just when he thought he was unable to stuff his face any further, Kei brought out the secret weapon and placed it on the table along side a large tub of ice cream.

How could he resist. It was lemon pie. The best lemon pie in all of Japan. He graciously took a large slice along with a heaping scoop of creamy ice cream and he filled his belly full of the pastry to the point he thought he would throw up. It didn't matter. It was dessert, and you don't deny the desert. He gave gracious compliments to the chef as the kitchen roared with his uncle's boisterous laughter. It felt like family, like it was when mom and dad were still alive. Even Mamoru's own sister had to give in and laugh.

Cheiko excused herself to her room to finish her homework and Mamoru aided in clearing the kitchen and washing the dishes, commenting everlastingly on the deliciousness of dinner. Kei never got tired of his compliments and she smiled his way. She was always glad when he came to visit, as she loved him like a son. She soon chastised on how he rarely visits and then inquired into his love life. He gave the same straightforward answer about how he'll find someone when the time is right but all Kei could do was roll her eyes. She knew there was more than that but never told him that she secretly emailed back and forth with Motoki so she wasn't totally out of the loop.

He stayed another hour or two at Kei's request, as she insisted on showing him the new bric-a-brac she had bought from some merchant in Milan. He asked how much it had cost to which she replied “When you are rich you never have to ask the price of something, you just get it”. It was a true statement for this house hold as well as anyone in the gated community.

The time was flying and Mamoru glanced at his watch. It was 9pm and even though he loved visiting, he really had to get going. Class was in the morning and he needed to get back home and attempt sleep. Kei rolled her eyes yet again, asking why he even bothered. She was already well aware about his school habits and wondered why he didn't just drop the classes he was struggling at. He bowed and said he would try harder because failing was not an option lest he felt he was betraying his parents.

He said his good byes through out the house and lingered a bit longer to be with his sister. The closeness they shared was insurmountable and it was a bond that could never be broken. Cheiko was the only person she would share her deepest troubles and feelings with and she always looked up to him as a hero. Though lately, she had been seeing less and less of this hero as his life seemed to go in a downward spiral. She hesitated in visiting his apartment and it seemed he didn't take as much joy in his life as he once did.

She sat there on her bedside reading the manga when he came up stairs. She set the book down and begged him to stay the night. He again complained about classes in the morning to which she replied the same thing her aunt did. He coughed and rolled his eyes as Cheiko began to chastise him about his life and she wished he would improve it. She leaned over to hug him good bye and said that no matter what happens, she will always love and cherish him as he is the last bit of family she wanted to hang on to. He hugged back and headed back into his car. One last glance at the large opulence which was the home and then backed out of the drive way and headed back to his apartment.

Half and hour later he returned to his apartment. His heart filled with the sadness and depression as always when returning home. Piles of clothes littered the floor and he recalled the dirty dishes piled in the sink. It was a god awful sight so it was no surprise one would feel depressed in this hovel. A large pile of clothes was kicked away from the closet door so he could put away his jacket but when he opened the door, mittens and scarves fell from the top shelf. He sighed and let them be, removing the locket out of his pocket before chucking his jacket in the closet.

He headed to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face to slap him out of this never ending funk. Mid wash his cell phone begins to vibrate and he opens it to find a text from his sister thanking him for the book and promising that Aunt and Uncle wouldn't find it. He smiled and started to close his phone but stopped. He debated on Bey'ru's number as he stared at the entry in his phone. A gleam of something catches his attention, causing him to forget the number. He walks over by the tub and notices an aqua blue tear drop pendant. Two silver wires crossed it. It looked familiar for a few seconds until he realized it was the same pendant from earlier in the day. Mamoru picked it up, confused.

The pendant sizzles in his hand and from it a dark mist starts surrounding his face and he turns to stare at the mirror with a glazed look in his eyes. A figure starts to form in the mist to breathe softly in his ear. Red locks of wild curls start to form and wrap their way seductively around his arms as her form takes shape. Her large red eyes play coy with his emotions as her long slender arms wrap around his body. Mamoru stares hypnotically into the mirror and Bey'ru whispers softly into his ear

“All I want is you…My Endymion”